Incentive - March 2008 - (Page 71)

TRAVEL “Years back it was kind of run- down,” says Darrel C. Jones, executive director of the Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau. Jones gives hurricanes some credit for destroying old eyesores and paving the way for new builds. “New places have come up, and the area is completely changed. It is absolutely gorgeous.” The addition of some highend hotels, such as the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, is catching the attention of incentive planners. Those looking for a sunny spot with plenty of activities for reward winners haven’t been disappointed. For the first time, Visit Florida held its Florida Encounter event in the area last fall, inviting planners from all over the world to the Sandestin Beach and Golf Beach Resort. Many of U.S. Foodservice’s salespeople live near beaches, so they weren’t content to just sit on lounge chairs and soak up rays. “They enjoyed having the opportunity to kayak, to [ride a] Jet Ski, to do a tour together on the waterways,” Hereford says. “They loved the opportunity to go fishing right on property.” Though this group chose to stick to the resort—where incentive winners enjoyed all the above activities, plus spa treatments and wine tastings— Hereford says that there are also plenty of restaurant and activities to explore nearby. She adds that the ease of reaching the Emerald Coast area made planning the trip easy. Panama City is welcoming a new FLORIDA “They loved the opportunity to go fishing right on property.” –Cheryl Hereford, Brickell Incentives Club to discover what the state has to offer for meeting and incentive groups. What they found in the Emerald Coast was more than just a pretty face. The area offers a great variety of diversions, according to Cheryl Hereford, president of Brickell Incentives in Virginia Beach. “There is a tremendous amount of activities for groups, from fishing and kayaking to Jet Skiing and bike riding,” she says. Hereford recently brought 40 top salespeople from U.S. Foodservice, along with their spouses, to Destin for a quarterly sales award trip. The group, which had gone to Aruba, Mexico and New York City in the past, also stayed at the Sandestin Golf & airport, and flights were short for her East Coast–based group, maximizing the amount of time they could spend at the resort. Finally, she says that the area’s relative affordability, wide range of activities and convenient transportation make it a great option for family incentives. Palm Beach Sunny Palm Beach, with its fivestar hotels, upscale shopping and enticing golf courses, is Florida’s veteran deluxe beach destination. Now, improvements in all of these categories are making the area newly attractive to incentive groups. And reaching the beach is getting easier: New direct flights via Minnesotabased Sun Country Airlines The bright green waters of Destin make clear how Florida’s Emerald Coast got its name (top). After years of being overrun by spring breakers, Fort Lauderdale is shaking its college-kids-gonewild reputation and creating an infrastructure of incentive-quality resorts. (bottom) incentivemag.com | March 2008 | Incentive | 71 http://incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - March 2008

Incentive - March 2008 Contents Editor’s Note: Delivering on Diversity In The News Cover Story: Leveraging Diversity in the Workplace Incentive Interview: Paul Levesque on Why Awards Fail Case Study: AEIS’ Max!-imum Incentive Program Mine Employees’ Creativity with Innovation Incentives Incentive Must-Reads The Third Annual Gift Card Roundtable My Turn: Motivation or Bribery? Everybody Get Together In Her Shoes: Why Bosses Should Be Flexible Incentive Primer: Passport Problem-Solving potentials Here and Now Is CES Electronics Heaven? China and Crystal: More Than a Pretty Face Travel News Florida: What’s New on the Beach? Smooth Sailing for Incentive Cruising Come To Hawaii And Take It Fast Last Word: But Enough About You

Incentive - March 2008

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